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Peri shook her head. “My mother refused to have any technology beyond a vehicle and a generator. She insisted electronics interfered with her magic.”
Annoyance surged through Valen. He wasn’t one of those immortals who yearned for the Dark Ages. He fully embraced modern technology and the convenience it offered. Especially when it came to keeping digital surveillance on potential enemies.
“Then what do you hope to find?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. A receipt. Or more statues.” She heaved a harsh sigh. “Honestly, it’s probably just another wild goose chase.”
“It’s worth a try.” He pointed toward the nearly hidden pathway just ahead. “Turn right. The helicopter is at the bottom of the hill.”
She followed his direction, slowing as they swayed over the dips and mounds that threatened to destroy the ancient suspension of the truck.
“How did you find me?” she abruptly asked.
“There are trackers on all of Gabriel’s vehicles.”
Her lips twisted. “I should have guessed.”
Valen studied her profile, his nerves still raw from the hours he’d been forced to pace the floor, waiting for the sun to set.
“Why did you feel the need to slip away when you knew I couldn’t follow?”
Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel turning her knuckles white. “Tia is an arrogant bitch, but even she knew she screwed up by allowing one of her guards to shoot a vampire. No one wants to be hauled in front of the Cabal for attempted murder.” She shrugged. “I hoped I could use the situation to blackmail her into confessing why she was at the bar.”
There was enough truth in her words to convince him that was part of the reason she’d slipped away. But not the full explanation.
Would she ever trust him?
Valen abruptly realized that the answer to that question was more important than he wanted to admit.
“Did your blackmail work?”
She sent him a wry grimace. “Does it look like it worked?”
Valen clenched his hands. He’d done his best not to dwell on the injuries, which continued to leak a small trace of blood. Not only because the intoxicating scent was stirring his most primitive hungers, but the thought that she’d been attacked and injured infuriated him.
“You can park here.” He nodded toward a patch of ground that had been cleared of undergrowth. Ahead of them the sleek helicopter was shrouded in darkness. “One of Gabriel’s staff will return it to the estate.” He watched as she leaned down to shut off the engine and grab her satchel. But before she could push open the door, he leaned across the console and touched her arm. “Wait.”
She glanced toward him in surprise. “Is something wrong?”
He held out a slender hand, placing it over the wound on her cheek without touching her.
“Can I?”
She knew what he was asking, and how rare it was for any vampire to offer his healing to anyone. Even those closest to them. At last, she offered a wary nod.
Holding her gaze, Valen lifted his index finger and pressed it against his extended fang, piercing his skin. A drop of blood bloomed and, with care not to hurt her, he rubbed it over the cut. Instantly the flesh pulled together, knitting the cut so smoothly there wasn’t a trace of a scar. Peri’s sweet, floral scent flooded the air as his hand slowly lowered and he slid his finger beneath the hole sliced in her jeans, pressing against the wound. She winced as the piece of glass still stuck in her flesh was pushed out, but it wasn’t pain that darkened her eyes as he sealed the cleaned cut.
Desire in its purest form sparked and flared to life, weaving them together with a compulsive hunger.
Eventually, that hunger would have to be sated.
But not tonight.
His hand moved to a scratch on her upper arm as he studied her wary expression. “I don’t suppose you would listen if I asked you to avoid any future solo missions?”
Her brows furrowed at his simple request. “I’m used to solo missions.”
“Me too.” Vampires were by nature remote, isolated creatures. Valen considered being alone a rare gift, not a punishment. Until Peri. “But for now we have each other. We should take advantage of our partnership.”
